"Despite his restoration to the team last season there was every expectation that Tottenham would lose the Belgian in the summer transfer window as soon as the clause in his contract became active. That clause, triggered by Spurs extending the centre-back's contract by a year, meant that until the final two weeks of the 2019 summer transfer window any club offering £25m for his services would have their bid accepted. A done deal surely?
The player, his representatives and Tottenham watched the clause period open and they waited....and waited...and they waited until it closed without a single bid matching that relatively low release figure.
For a player often considered to be one of the best defenders the Premier League has to offer, for not one club - many with defensive problems - to want to seal a bargain £25m signing is mind-boggling on the face of it. Alderweireld, who has been capped 92 times by Belgium, could fit into any team in the Premier League or Champions League with relative ease.
When you look at the money splashed around on £80m Harry Maguire or even the £26.5m to take Tryone Mings to Aston Villa, it's hard to understand why Alderweireld was left on the shelf in the transfer market. Only Roma came forward with any real interest and the Serie A side had no interest in bidding anywhere near the £25m required for a Rolls Royce of a player."
